Rory McIlroy has risked courting controversy on the eve of the US PGA Championship by claiming improved technology has played a key part in allowing what he described as "lesser players" to win major titles.

McIlroy is one of a group of 16 different professionals to win the past 16 majors. The Northern Irishman aside, within that number have been several surprise champions.

Ernie Els offered an outspoken analysis of that situation last month by claiming people were winning "who could never have done so 20 years ago". Older champions, such as Gary Player, have vehemently stated that technology must be curbed to stop players at the top of the game hitting the ball as far as they currently can.

McIlroy, whose honesty in public is one of his most endearing qualities, said: "I'm just happy to be part of that group of 16. I think the reason it is like this, fields are much deeper. Partly because the guys have just got better and have worked hard; they are putting more into the game physically, mentally, practice, technical, everything.

"But I think one of the big things is the technology. I think 25 years ago you had the really good players that could play with basically anything and nowadays the technology lets maybe some of the lesser players catch up with the better players. And I think that's why you see so many more guys winning these days."

In recent years, a string of courses – including Augusta National – have been lengthened or adapted in a bid to counter advancements in ball and club technology. McIlroy's comments are especially notable given his relative youth.

McIlroy has the winning of a second major in mind as the championship starts in South Carolina on Thursday. The 23-year-old expressed frustration with his game at the Open last month but showed glimpses of a return to form when finishing tied fifth at last weekend's WGC Bridgestone Invitational. "I feel like I'm playing pretty well," he said. "If I had to give my season a grade to this point, I'd probably give it a B. There is still a lot of golf to play but I'm very happy with some of the golf that I've played this year."

At Kiawah Island, McIlroy believes the rare use of paspalum grass on the greens could work to his advantage. McIlroy, Luke Donald, Keegan Bradley and Dustin Johnson regularly encounter that strain, which is said to be sticky and Velcro-like, as members of Jack Nicklaus's Bear's Club in Florida.

"We practise on paspalum all the time," McIlroy explained. "For myself, Luke, Keegan and Dustin, it's something we are quite used to. It's something I have spoken to Luke about, something that the guys who are members of the Bear's Club might have an advantage because we are used to how it reacts. We practise on that stuff on our off weeks, so it's actually quite nice."

Hope for McIlroy can be traced to the 2010 US PGA at Whistling Straits, also designed by Pete Dye, the creator of Kiawah, at which he tied for third. Johnson was famously leading by a shot with a hole to play but incurred a penalty shot for grounding his club in a sandy patch which was controversially deemed to be a bunker.

McIlroy insists he has been more irked at not featuring near the summit of major leaderboards since winning last year's US Open than his failure to swiftly claim a second win in one of golf's biggest events. "I've hopefully got 25 more years to try and win major championships," he added.

"I'm disappointed that I have not contended since. That's been the disappointing thing. I haven't given myself even a chance. I was in a good position at the Masters going into Saturday, shot a bad third round there and sort of blew myself out of contention. It would be great just to give myself a chance this week, get into contention and just feel that buzz again of getting into contention in a major and remembering how it feels." The past 16 majors have produced 16 different winners